Editorial: "Citizen cabinets"? Less partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts is a better solution

The creation of “citizen cabinets” to make Congress more accountable and more productive in addressing the country’s real problems sounds like a good idea, especially in light of the current budget/Obamacare turmoil taking place in Washington.

The cabinets are being pitched by a group of former congressmen and some academics. They would have 275 members each in all 435 congressional districts. Supposedly, they would raise the quality of public discourse and act as the real voice of the people. The cabinets would receive accurate online briefings and learn about policy options pending before Congress.

But who gets to pick the members to make sure the cabinets are not stacked with folks who represent a particular constituency? And who is going to provide the “accurate” online briefings? We hope it will not be a member of Congress or congressional staffers with certain agendas.

Here is a better solution. Members of Congress can do a better job of attending to the issues of all their constituents, not only the ones who can holler and threaten the loudest. They can get off their ideological and partisan rear ends to actually get something done in Washington.

And they should do something to limit the overt gerrymandering of congressional districts, which encourages inflexibility.